Creating Consistent Styles Using Design Tokens

There are moments when a fast prototype feels like a victory—and later becomes the source of quiet friction. Teams recall a sprint where a quick build ran, but decisions were scattered across chats and lost over time. That leftover debt steals focus and adds time to every review.

After Andrej Karpathy’s 2025 post, vibe coding surged and tools like Cursor, Figma, Replit, and Claude Code made runnable interfaces easier to produce. Yet speed revealed gaps: linear iteration, naming drift, and decisions trapped in threads. This guide connects that background with a practical path forward.

Here we outline a pragmatic approach: name the shared style choices—color, type, spacing, motion—so designers and engineers share a clear language. Supernova, Magic Patterns, and Subframe show how token management, side-by-side exploration, and mix-and-match exports help teams keep momentum while improving quality. We’ll show how a structured JSONC brief, Figma sync, and code export fit into a repeatable workflow that preserves the creative spark and reduces rework.

Key Takeaways

• Speed from vibe coding requires a lightweight system to avoid hidden debt.
• Named style decisions become a shared language across teams.
• Use structured briefs to give AI agents clear intent and fewer magic strings.
• Tools like Supernova and Magic Patterns bridge exploration and repeatable delivery.
• Keep notes and release labels early—small records save time later.
• Adopt canvases for divergent ideas, then converge into token-aligned implementations.

Why design tokens supercharge consistency and speed for Vibe UI

When quick builds grow into products, a lightweight contract between craft and code prevents drift. Tokens act as that contract: named values that survive refactors and keep teams aligned.

One update, many fixes: when code references tokens, a single change propagates across the product. That cuts rework and reduces regression risk.

Centralized stores and Figma sync make management predictable. Supernova maps tokens to platforms, exports usable code artifacts, and documents choices for adoption.

• Faster updates with fewer variants.
• Cleaner runtime and better performance.
• Documented releases that build trust.

Practical note: ban raw values in production, add CI checks, and document why each change was made. For a guided case study, read how teams use a playbook to prevent the vibe coding pitfalls.

Design token fundamentals for Vibe UI teams

Teams win by naming decisions: a single token can stop dozens of tiny inconsistencies.

Consistency through tokens means defining named values across color, type, spacing, radii, shadows, and motion. Names act as stable contracts that survive refactors and keep everyone aligned.

• Types: raw/alias (blue-500) support semantic tokens (button-primary-bg).
• Core categories: colors, typography, spacing, radii, shadows, motion — each should be a named decision, not ad-hoc values.
• Semantic layering: background, surface, overlay names map to elevation and state changes.
• Intent & mode: intent tokens (success, warning, info) decouple meaning from hue; mode-aware tokens swap maps for light/dark without changing component code.
• Component scope: allow overrides like button.border.radius while honoring system constraints.

Keep simple naming rules: clear prefixes, semantic grouping, and stable IDs. Ask the designer to propose tokens rather than one-off values. That practice reduces drift and preserves context across Figma and code exports.

Design Tokens in Vibe UI: a practical step-by-step setup

Declare the naming rules up front; that single act saves hours of rework later.

Start with a clear taxonomy that maps semantic groups—brand, surface, text, intent—so names mean the same thing to everyone.

Define a clear token taxonomy and naming rules your teams can adopt

Set stable prefixes and semantic groups. Keep names forward-compatible and avoid one-off aliases.

Document intent: when a token changes, record why. This lightweight record prevents guesswork during reviews.

Choose the right management tooling: central store, Figma sync, code exports

Stand up a central store with Figma sync and automated code export. Wire the visual source to a publish pipeline so updates flow without manual transcription.

Publish tokens and integrate them into code without hardcoded values

Ban raw hex and px in production. Add CI checks to block hardcoded values and require token references.

Bootstrap a starter kit with a system scaffold, SEO essentials, and AI rules. Feed a JSONC brief to prompt generators so produced code uses tokens, respects modes, and avoids magic strings.

1. Define taxonomy and naming rules.
2. Stand up a token store with Figma sync.
3. Author a JSONC brief (palettes, breakpoints, modes).
4. Bootstrap a codebase and add CI checks.

Applying tokens to Vibe UI components for consistent, maintainable UIs

When components reference a central set of values, fixes and improvements ripple across products.

Buttons, cards, and tables should consume semantic values for background, text, radius, spacing, and motion. Define primary, secondary, and danger variants with hover, focus, and disabled states stored centrally. This makes each component self-documenting and easier to audit.

Spacing and typography follow a responsive scale so rhythm remains consistent across breakpoints. Avoid bespoke sizes; use the scale for margin, padding, and type so layouts adapt without extra adjustments.

• Map button props to color.bg.primary, color.text.onPrimary, radius.pill, and motion.fast for clarity.
• Define card surfaces with surface tokens, elevation shadows, and consistent content spacing.
• Structure tables with tokenized row height, divider style, hover highlight, and semantic colors for positive/negative trends.

Process: propose or update values, run export generators (for example via Supernova), update stories and docs, then ship behind a versioned release. That flow reduces merge conflicts, improves performance, and centers the user with consistent states and clear focus indicators.

For a practical starter workflow, see the vibe coding starter guide.

Keep the “vibe” without the pitfalls: aligning vibe coding with your tokens

Rapid exploration should stay creative and repeatable. Approved prompt patterns that reference named values and component variants guide AI agents to produce usable results from the first try.

Approved prompt patterns and structured briefs

Use JSONC briefs to compress context: structure, palettes, modes, and breakpoints. That reduces guesswork and keeps the agent aligned with system goals.

Require prompts to propose tokens first, not inline values. This enforces a no–magic-strings policy and reduces late-stage rework.

Explore broadly, deliver consistently

Use canvases for parallel ideas and apply /inspiration to generate rapid options. Mix and match in Subframe to combine strong elements while preserving references to named values.

Checklist and change controls

• Page-level sign-off must reference surface, text, spacing, and interaction states.
• CI rejects raw hex/px; code reviews enforce tokenized values.
• Treat approved prompts as living artifacts and update them with learnings.

Result: teams keep the creative vibe while avoiding drift, costly changes, and late surprises. For a practical guide on applying these patterns, see a detailed write-up on painless vibe coding and the top principles at Miloriano.

Governance, versioning, and documentation to scale Vibe UI safely

Treat the system like a product: ship releases, log decisions, and measure adoption to prove success.

Ship versioned token releases with clear status labels: proposed, beta, stable, deprecated. Define migration paths and publish notes that explain why a value changed and how teams should migrate.

Ship versioned releases and deprecations

Release cadence matters. Use a management tool that supports versioning and deprecation metadata. Include changelogs and migration guides with each release.

Document examples next to real components

• Do/don’t snippets beside components to reduce ambiguity.
• Live code samples that show the recommended usage and fallback patterns.
• Contribution flow: propose, review (accessibility + theme checks), merge, publish.

Measure adoption and close the loop

Track token coverage per repo, count replaced bespoke components, and measure median time-to-update after releases. Treat documentation as a product: publish blog-style notes and invite feedback.

“Governance that is visible and measurable turns a prototype into a repeatable path to success.”

Advanced modes, intents, and performance with tokens

Mode-aware value swaps make light/dark parity a matter of data, not conditional code paths.

Approach matters: treat mode and intent as a shared set so components never hardcode states. Supernova 3.0’s Product Contexts keep explorations inside brand rules and component libraries, which reduces off-brand variants.

Practical benefits: teams validate contrast and focus once, then reuse those values across every page and feature. That lowers work and improves accessibility at scale.

• Implement light/dark via mode-aware swaps—no code path changes required.
• Encode semantic intent for success, warning, info, and danger so messaging and charts align.
• Centralize contrast and focus for consistent accessibility checks and fewer regressions.

Render performance improves when style variance drops. Shared values encourage common classes and fewer recalculations during runtime.

1. Update design values;
2. trigger automated exports and MCP-powered commits to editors;
3. receive PRs and create tickets in Linear/Jira for fast review and merge.

Extend the set first, then add component features that consume those values. That way prototypes graduate with predictable quality: token-aligned, accessible, and ready for production code and review.

Conclusion

E. Prototyping at pace needs a guardrail—simple rules that keep ideas usable and stable.

Core lesson: named values act as a contract that turns fast coding experiments into consistent product code across components and pages.

Follow a short playbook: declare the taxonomy, ban raw values, harden top components, wire Figma to repo, publish versioned releases, and measure adoption.

Prompt discipline matters: attach a JSONC brief, reference shared values and components, and require responsive and mode-aware output. That practice saves minutes on each iteration.

Stand up color and spacing scales first, coach the designer role to use canvases, then ship a first versioned release and set a steady cadence.

Operationalize now—adopt the playbook, measure coverage, publish notes, and keep evolving the system as the single source of truth. Learn more about practical steps at vibe coding for UX designers.